[SR Mike]

I just picked up a cheap little meerschaum pipe, there are some nice quality ones I want, but since I will not be able to afford them for a while this will have to do. So what I am doing is taking pictures each day after using this pipe to chronicle the color changes. I will be smoking a variety of tobaccos in this pipe, this will give me a fun introduction to meerschaum. I am not touching the meerschaum with my fingers, I want to make sure I do not transfer any oils, so this will be as clean of a color change as can be with this pipe, when I picked it up it was in a baggy too. So here are the first pics before smoking this pipe:

Turns out there is a small crack, too bad I did not see this when I got it. All well, it was only $5

 

[SR Mike]

Okay, so I started smoking out of this little one today. I picked up four different tobaccos, one ounce of each. The four are Straight Virginia, Moose (chocolate), 1776 1/2, and Twist Flake. These are all bulk from my B&M. Here are the first, I smoke one bowl of each of the four mentioned tobaccos above.

 

[Mister Moo]

You may be taking pix for another 30 years. Certain cheating bastages warm up their meers and put them in small boxes and blow smoke in too shorten the color changing curve. The conventional process is not exactly lickity-split, I am led to believe.

I await you next installments nonetheless; I am a sucker for a photoessay.

 

[jkorp]

I'm subscribed and waiting intently on the next update. I am thinking about switching over to Meer, I love their properties and beauty.

I recently read about that 140 year old Meer that they have at Tobacco Barn. Wow, what a beautiful, well colored pipe.

http://blogs.pipetrader.com/TobaccoBarn/archive/2007/05/23/Coloring-Meerschaum-Pipes.aspx

 

[paperairplane]

The one I got at Xmas is getting nicely black at the bowl, the bowl has not changed perceptibly at this point. (3 mos in...)

Also, if it is pressed and not block, it isn't going to color much.

 

[Thillium]

I think I might go and buy a meer today :tu

 

[SR Mike]

I am not sure how long it will take, but I figure no harm done for trying. This is a small bowl, so it might color up quicker than a larger pipe. Last night, the twist flake really darkened up the inside of the bowl, more so than the other three I used. I will be using it again tonight.

 

[SR Mike]

Today I smoked McClellands Dark Star from '00 (thanks IHT), Rattray Old Gowrie (thanks IHT), Mary's Mix (B&M blend, vanilla flavored), and twist flake. Color is showing along the top and mid bowl, even the front talon is beginning to brown, at this point no color on the bottom of the pipe. The grains in the pipe are showing also, I guess this is one way to see how much time the carver put into polishing the bowl. I also downsized the pictures.

As can been seen, near the stem and the pipe, a bit of juice leaked onto the bowl as I was cleaning. So we will see what happens over time to this area. I was not quite as aware of how easily it can pick up the tar and oils while cleaning. I am glad this is an inexpensive meerschaum I learned this lesson on.

 

[BigKev77]

Maybe the "juice" will just make it more unique.

This is a neat thread!! Great idea.:tu

 

[idontknow]

Good idea for a thread not sure how long this will take tho.
I want to buy a meerschaum but the cheapist one I have seen was $95
Were did you buy one for $5?

 

[ShaulWolf]

This is a pretty cool thread. Very interested in seeing how this progresses.

Good idea for a thread not sure how long this will take tho.
I want to buy a meerschaum but the cheapist one I have seen was $95
Were did you buy one for $5?

May have gotten it from a B&M that was selling it cheap because of the crack. You can find some online for around $40 as well. No fancy carvings or anything, but they still look nice.

http://www.therightpipe.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/catalog.listProducts/catId/339/SMS_Standard_$39.html

 

[SR Mike]

I got this at my B&M, it was a basket pipe, there were a few, actually it was $8 but I got a deal. What I failed to mention, this is a mini meers pipe.

 

[SR Mike]

More color today. I smoked 1776 1/2, Straight Virginia, Rattray's Old Gowrie, Dunhill Medallion Flake, and Basil Rathberry.

The color is progressing down past the talons and starting into the scales of the claw. I am also seeing color starting to show in the feathers/fur on the shank. Color has not reach the entire circumference of the bowl yet, but at the rate this is progressing, I am going to guess it will be there after my next round of smoking.

I am impressed with this pipe, I am using quite a variety of tobacco and I still get the full flavors of each one. Unfortunately I do not have many more different tobaccos to use. I clean out the pipe after each use with a wet pipe cleaner and I rubbed it around the the bowl so as not to build up to much cake as I read that is not good for meerschaum pipes. This is really fun, if you are think of getting a meerschaum pipe, I recommend doing so, not only do you get to smoke your favorite tobacco, you get to watch the pipe change color. There will be more meerschaum pipes in my future.

 

[JohnnyFlake]

Good idea for a thread not sure how long this will take tho.
I want to buy a meerschaum but the cheapist one I have seen was $95
Were did you buy one for $5?

Here is a link for decent Meerschaum pipes that can be had for about $30 and up. These are very nice pipes! However, the lower priced Meerschaum pipes are most often not made from Block Meerschaum, they are made from pressed Meerschaum.

 

[JohnnyFlake]

More color today. I smoked 1776 1/2, Straight Virginia, Rattray's Old Gowrie, Dunhill Medallion Flake, and Basil Rathberry.

The color is progressing down past the talons and starting into the scales of the claw. I am also seeing color starting to show in the feathers/fur on the shank. Color has not reach the entire circumference of the bowl yet, but at the rate this is progressing, I am going to guess it will be there after my next round of smoking.

I am impressed with this pipe, I am using quite a variety of tobacco and I still get the full flavors of each one. Unfortunately I do not have many more different tobaccos to use. I clean out the pipe after each use with a wet pipe cleaner and I rubbed it around the the bowl so as not to build up to much cake as I read that is not good for meerschaum pipes. This is really fun, if you are think of getting a meerschaum pipe, I recommend doing so, not only do you get to smoke your favorite tobacco, you get to watch the pipe change color. There will be more meerschaum pipes in my future.

If your not already aware of it, the reason your pipes are coloring so quickly is that they are made from Pressed Meerschaum, not Block Meerschaum. Note: there is nothing wrong with Pressed Meerschaum, however, they are not as dense as Block Meerschaum Pipes and cost much less as well. You will have to smoke at least a dozen bowls of tobacco in a Block Meerschaum Pipe before it even begins to start coloring and the coloring process is much more subtle, taking a very long time to become properly colored!

Meerschaum is naturally brittle, the one disadvantage to pressed Meerschaum, is that it is even more brittle than natural Block Meerschaum!

 

[Thillium]

Here is a link for decent Meerschaum pipes that can be had for about $30 and up. These are very nice pipes! However, the lower priced Meerschaum pipes are most often not made from Block Meerschaum, they are made from pressed Meerschaum.

Wheres the link chief?

 

[JohnnyFlake]

Wheres the link chief?

Me forget, I be so sorry!!!

I have bought several from the medium category. They are very well made and great smokers!

http://www.meerschaum.com/instock.htm

 

[Thillium]

haha awesome! Thanks a bunch I've been looking for block meers so I wanted to check it out :tu:ss

 

[SAjunidog]

Me forget, I be so sorry!!!

I have bought several from the medium category. They are very well made and great smokers!

http://www.meerschaum.com/instock.htm

Do you know if the medium (or standards, since those are cheaper!) are pressed or block? The site says they're all block, but you seemed to contradict that earlier.
I think my present to myself after finishing my first year of college is going to be a meer, and I've been looking at AND. A lot of the standard pipes seem big enough while still being dir cheap, but if they're pressed I'd rather drop the extra money for block.

Also speaking of meers, does anyone know why they're so damn expensive at b&ms? Every store I've been into has meers that look no different than the inexpensive online ones (like AND or tobacco barn), but that start at at least 120. I mean, usually pipe price difference for online vs. b&m is something like 50 vs. 80, not 30-40 vs. 120.

 

[BigKev77]

One member on this thread says pressed doen't change color and another member says pressed changes much quicker. ?????

I am confused????